How to Mount Board With Drapes
Create a dramatic, projecting window treatment or bed coronet by mounting draperies to a shaped board. Unlike curtains, draperies have pleating, shirring or smocking to narrow the tops of the panels. You can mount them flat to a board without sacrificing fullness at the bottom. Because board-mounted treatments are stationary--they don't draw open and closed--draperies with tiebacks or Italian stringing work best. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Mounting board, 3/4-inch plywood or MDF
- Jigsaw or power saw
- Sandpaper, medium-grit
- Sew on hook-and-loop tape, 3/4-inch
- Scissors
- Staple gun
- Staples
- Drapery panels
- Straight pins
- Measuring tape
- Needle
- Thread
Instructions
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1
Saw 3/4-inch plywood or medium density fiberboard (MDF) into the shape of your choice. Rectangles and semicircles are the most common, but any decorative shape works fine. Leave the back edge straight for hanging the board. Use a jigsaw for curved shapes.
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2
Sand the cut parts of your mounting board until smooth, to keep rough edges from snagging your draperies. Use medium-grit sandpaper.
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3
Staple the coarse, wiry half of a continuous strip of 3/4-inch hook-and-loop tape to all but the straight backside of your board. Use plenty of staples to secure the tape or the drapery weight might pull it loose.
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4
Pin the fuzzy half of 3/4-inch hook-and-loop tape strips to the buckram or pleating tape on the back of each drapery panel. The sum of all the drapery panel strips should equal the length of the strip you stapled to the mounting board. Position the hook-and-loop tape so the top edges of your drapery panels are 1 to 2 inches higher than the top edge of your mounting board.
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5
Sew the hook-and-loop tape to the back of your drapery panels by hand with a backstitch. Use a heavy-duty needle. Make sure you stitch only through the buckram or pleating tape, not the front fabric of the drapery panels. Remove the straight pins.
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6
Attach your draperies to the board by pressing the two halves of the hook-and-loop tape together firmly. Start at the center of the front side of the mounting board, and work out to each side.
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Tips & Warnings
If the top of your mounting board will be visible from a staircase or upper floor landing, paint it to match the walls before attaching the hook-and-loop tape.
With deep mounting boards, the bottom of the board might show from beneath. Cover it with drapery or lining fabric before attaching the hook-and-loop tape. Attach the fabric with staples.
Don't use self-adhesive hook-and-look tape in place of stapling and sewing. The weight of lined draperies will pull it loose.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit decorative curtain image by araraadt from Fotolia.com
